Design is underway on the Recreation Athletic Complex expansion, which will provide training, administrative, and academic support spaces for multiple campus programs.
 
FAIRFAX, VA—George Mason University has selected architecture and design firm Perkins&Will to create a new hub for student-athletes on campus.
 
The proposed 30,000 square-foot Basketball and Academic Performance Center is an addition to the existing Recreation Athletic Complex. The facility will be the new home for men's and women's basketball and will accommodate practice courts, player performance, training, support spaces, and staff offices for both programs. In addition, it will serve as the new academic services center, supporting over 500 student-athletes.  Currently in preliminary design phases, the project is scheduled to open in early 2027. 
 
"The Basketball and Academic Performance Center will truly stand as the 'Crown Jewel' of George Mason Athletics," said Marvin Lewis, Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics. "This cutting-edge facility reflects the exceptional achievements of our student-athletes, both in competition and in the classroom. It also showcases the University's dedication to supporting our basketball programs for sustained national success." 
 
The new facility creates a center of excellence for athletics, providing a welcoming experience for recruits, students, staff, and alumni, and showcasing George Mason's athletics community and achievements. For the student-athletes who will use the space daily, the building will go beyond physical health and performance to include mental health and academic support. 
 
Preliminary designs for the Basketball and Academic Performance Center incorporate strategies aimed at benefiting the health and well-being of student-athletes and staff while being mindful of environmental impacts. Perkins&Will's early plans include a "Living Design" framework that considers energy and water efficiencies, embodied and operational carbon reduction, accessibility, and spaces for personal wellness and regeneration. The project is currently targeting LEED Silver certification.
 
"We're excited by the opportunity to create something unique to George Mason, that is emblematic of the University's vision for the future," said Stephen Sefton, Perkins&Will's Sports and Recreation Practice Leader for the Northeast. "Athletics is a huge driver of community and identity on campus; the right facilities can help programs and individuals thrive."
 
Schematic designs received board approval this past week, with an anticipated reveal of final designs in early 2025. Perkins&Will has a longstanding relationship with George Mason; the Basketball and Athletic Performance Center is the firm's third project with the University, following the renovation and expansion of Exploratory Hall in 2013, and Horizon Hall which was completed in 2021. The firm has partnered with Whiting-Turner Contracting on this new project.
 
"This center will be a transformative space for all 500 of our student-athletes," said Lewis. "It will offer a unique environment where they can learn, grow, and collaborate in a way that embodies the spirit of Mason."  
About Perkins&Will
Perkins&Will, an interdisciplinary, research-based architecture and design firm, was founded in 1935 on the belief that design has the power to transform lives. The firm is committed to creating a better, beautiful, more equitable world through Living Design, an approach that integrates environmental, social, and design considerations to advance ecological health and well-being. Interior Design named Perkins&Will a "Sustainability Giant" in 2024; Architizer named it the world's "Best Sustainable Firm" in 2023; and Metropolis named it "Firm of the Year" in 2022 for its industry leadership in advancing climate action and social justice. Fast Company named Perkins&Will one of the World's Most Innovative Companies in Architecture three times, and in 2021, it added the firm to its list of Brands That Matter—making Perkins&Will the first architecture practice in the world to earn the distinction. 
 
With an international team of more than 2,400 professionals, Perkins&Will has over 30 studios worldwide, providing integrated services in architecture, interior design, branded environments, urban design, and landscape architecture. Partners include Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects; McLennan Design; Portland; Nelson\Nygaard; and Pierre-Yves Rochon (PYR). For more information, visit www.perkinswill.com.